The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Saturday that it had successfully thwarted alleged plots orchestrated by Ukraine to assassinate two prominent Russian journalists, as reported by Interfax news agency.
According to the FSB, a number of individuals were apprehended on Friday for conducting surveillance near the residences and workplaces of Margarita Simonyan and Ksenia Sobchak.
Ukraine has not yet issued a response to these allegations and has previously denied any involvement in carrying out assassinations of pro-war figures within Russia.
The FSB revealed that the detainees had confessed to planning attacks against the two women on behalf of Ukraine and were promised a reward of 1.5 million rubles ($16,620) for each assassination.
Margarita Simonyan, the head of state media outlet RT and a vocal supporter of Russia’s war in Ukraine, took to Telegram to address the alleged plot, commending the security services and urging them to continue their work.
Ksenia Sobchak, a well-known journalist and TV host who also ran as a presidential candidate in 2018, has not issued a public statement regarding the incident at this time
